It’s still early in the season, but we’re starting to get some sort of an idea on how the Jets are utilizing some of their players based on their snap counts through two weeks. Things certainly can and will change, but we’ll try to gauge what’s going on with the Jets based on these numbers heading into a huge Week 3 game against the Patriots.
We’ll look at the total number of snaps and the percentage of snaps for each player and position. For offensive positions, there have been 101 total snaps so far. For defense, it is 156 snaps and there have been 26 special-teams snaps.
Quarterback
- Zach Wilson – 97 snaps, 96.04%
- Aaron Rodgers – 4 snaps, 3.96%
Obviously not what Jets fans wanted to see other than the Jets will now keep their first-round pick for the 2024 NFL Draft since Rodgers will not play 65% of the offensive snaps.
Running Back
- Dalvin Cook – 44 snaps, 43.56%
- Breece Hall – 33 snaps, 32.67%
- Michael Carter – 27 snaps, 26.73% / 5 special-teams snaps, 9.26%
- Nick Bawden (FB) – 10 snaps, 9.9% / 37 special-teams snaps, 68.52%
We knew Breece Hall would be on a pitch count early in the season. So far, the Jets have done just that. Hall has been pretty consistent with his snap counts through two weeks – 17 against the Bills, 16 against the Cowboys. Struggling to run the football in Dallas didn’t do the backs any favors either in this department. Other than Cook getting a few extra snaps in Week 1, this has been a pretty even split early on.
Also interesting to see Nick Bawden has only played 10 total snaps on offense so far. That includes a whopping two against the Cowboys. That’s it. For all the talk of Bawden being involved in the offense in the summer, the Jets have yet to show it in the regular season. We’ll see if that changes anytime soon. He has been a key on special teams with 37 snaps.
Wide Receiver
- Garrett Wilson – 93 snaps, 92.08%
- Allen Lazard – 86 snaps, 85.15%
- Randall Cobb – 45 snaps, 44.55% / 1 special-teams snap, 1.85%
- Mecole Hardman – 14 snaps, 13.86% / 1 special-teams snap, 1.85%
- Xavier Gipson – 1 snap, 0.99% / 22 special-teams snaps, 40.74%
Randall Cobb really has turned into the No. 3 wide receiver for the Jets while Mecole Hardman has been non-existent. He didn’t play a single offensive snap against the Bills and most of his work came in garbage time against the Cowboys. One would have thought Hardman would add a speed element to the offense. For now, the Jets have been slow to unleash it…unless they know something we don’t. Gipson has become the clear return man for the Jets.
Tight End
- Tyler Conklin – 84 snaps, 83.17% / 1 special-teams snap, 1.85%
- C.J. Uzomah – 45 snaps, 44.55% / 19 special-teams snaps, 35.19%
- Jeremy Ruckert – 23 snaps, 22.77% / 29 special-teams snaps, 53.7%
We all saw what happened in Week 2 where the Jets hardly ran two tight-end sets and left Duane Brown on an island against Micah Parsons. Ruckert played five snaps against Dallas. At the very least, the Jets should see what Ruckert has over Uzomah. If the Jets want to go 12 personnel, they really need to look into a Conklin/Ruckert combo. They need to see what they have in their 2022 third-round pick on offense. He at least sees time on special teams.
Offensive Line
- Duane Brown – 101 snaps, 100%
- Laken Tomlinson – 101 snaps, 100% / 6 special-teams snaps, 11.11%
- Connor McGovern – 101 snaps, 100% / 2 special-teams snaps, 3.7%
- Alijah Vera-Tucker – 101 snaps, 100% / 6 special-teams snaps, 11.11%
- Mekhi Becton – 101 snaps, 100% / 4 special-teams snaps, 7.41%
- Billy Turner – 6 special-teams snaps, 11.11%
- Wes Schweitzer – 6 special-teams snaps, 11.11%
- Joe Tippmann – 6 special-teams snaps, 11.11%
It feels like it’s only a matter of time before Tippmann takes over at center. We also can’t rule out Vera-Tucker moving over to tackle and Schweitzer starting at guard. The worry of the offensive line has struck again.
Defensive Line
- Quinnen Williams – 109 snaps, 69.87% / 10 special-teams snaps, 18.52%
- Jermaine Johnson – 108 snaps, 69.23% / 11 special-teams snaps, 20.37%
- John Franklin-Myers – 87 snaps, 55.77% / 1 special-teams snap, 1.85%
- Quinton Jefferson – 75 snaps, 48.08%
- Micheal Clemons – 63 snaps, 40.38% / 24 special-teams snaps, 44.44%
- Al Woods – 61 snaps, 39.1% / 10 special-teams snaps, 18.52%
- Solomon Thomas – 54 snaps, 34.62% / 10 special-teams snaps, 18.52%
- Bryce Huff – 41 snaps, 26.28% / 14 special-teams snaps, 25.93%
- Carl Lawson – 23 snaps, 14.74%
- Will McDonald – 13 snaps, 8.33%
Lawson was not active for Week 1 and McDonald was not active for Week 2. So far, the biggest beneficiary, and deservedly so, has been Jermaine Johnson, getting the same amount of playing time as Quinnen Williams at about 70% of the snaps. As usual, the Jets mix in all their guys on the line, creating a nice rotation and keeping everyone as fresh as possible. The numbers game was why McDonald was inactive with Lawson returning in Week 2. We’ll see if that becomes a common theme.
Linebacker
- C.J. Mosley – 156 snaps, 100% / 11 special-teams snaps, 20.37%
- Quincy Williams – 153 snaps, 98.08% / 1 special-teams snap, 1.85%
- Jamien Sherwood – 31 snaps, 19.87% / 47 special-teams snaps, 87.04%
- Sam Eguavoen – 5 snaps, 3.21% / 36 special-teams snaps, 66.67%
- Chazz Surratt – 4 snaps, 2.56% / 37 special-teams snaps, 68.52%
The Jets ran a good amount of three-safety packages in Week 1, hence the low number of snaps for Jamien Sherwood. He did see a lot more playing time in Week 2. He saw 27 snaps against the Cowboys, though part of that was also due to Tony Adams getting injured so the Jets had to put Adrian Amos as a second safety instead of more of a hybrid safety/linebacker.
Eguavoen has been a practice squad call-up twice already. The Jets can elevate him one more time before having to sign him to the 53-man roster if they want to use him again. The Jets clearly love the special-teams help of Surratt as he has been the backup linebacker while Zaire Barnes has been inactive through two weeks.
Cornerback
- Sauce Gardner – 151 snaps, 96.79% / 2 special-teams snaps, 3.7%
- D.J. Reed – 151 snaps, 96.79% / 1 special-teams snap, 1.85%
- Michael Carter II – 89 snaps, 57.05% / 1 special-teams snap, 1.85%
- Brandin Echols – 21 snaps, 13.46% / 15 special-teams snaps, 27.78%
- Justin Hardee – 47 special-teams snaps, 87.04%
- Bryce Hall – 21 special-teams snaps, 38.89%
About what we expected from the cornerbacks. The Jets have mixed up between using three cornerbacks, three safeties and three linebackers on defense. Echols returned from suspension in Week 2 and played about a quarter of the defensive snaps against the Cowboys.
Safety
- Jordan Whitehead – 154 snaps, 98.72% / 15 special-teams snaps, 27.78%
- Tony Adams – 99 snaps, 63.46% / 14 special-teams snaps, 25.93%
- Adrian Amos – 63 snaps, 40.38% / 35 special-teams snaps, 64.81%
- Ashtyn Davis – 5 snaps, 3.21% / 47 special-teams snaps, 87.04%
The Jets ran some three-safety packages in Week 1 but the injury to Tony Adams during the Dallas game meant Adrian Amos had to play more in base packages. Amos ended up with 53 defensive snaps compared to 32 for Adams.
Elsewhere, if it wasn’t clear already, Ashtyn Davis’ special-teams prowess was a huge reason he stuck around when it seemed he was on the roster bubble. Davis is tied with Jamien Sherwood for the most special-teams snaps through two weeks for the Jets.
